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\ Vote Despite hindrances, registered students should make every effort to go to polls Despite the fact South Carolina's voter registration office in Columbia is a cubby hole, and you cannot always trust those who accept forms during registration drives, it is still fairly easy to vote in this state in comparison to the rest of the country. South Carolina's system allows those with motivation to be registered but also lets groups organize to register voters such as those on USC's campuses. The system is one having its roots in the political exclusion of "frivolous" voters, but with registration drives like the Voter Van sponsored by The State and WIS-TV, the electorate has expanded in the state. South Carolina's system has its flaws and advantages, and it depends on your perspective as a voter on how you see it. South Carolina keeps voters eligible only if they vote every two years. If you miss an election, your name is taken off the roll and you have to re-register. This may have the effect of keeping the current electorate voting, but it also makes it more difficult for those who skip an election and wish to vote. a As far as USC goes, student organizations in most cases have ( gone a long way in making voting easier for most students. Kappa ti Delta sorority and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity will be sponsor- h ing a day care at the P.E. Center for those of you with kids or who g just want to take full advantage of the holiday. Programs such as i tnese support students ana parents in getting out tne voie. On your registration card, it says in what precinct you can vote; however, no information is provided on the card about polling places. If you do not know where your polling place is, call Richland County Voter Registration at 748-4944 or Lexington County Voter Registration at 359-8361. We know tomorrow you have the day off, but you need to take advantage of this time. Speak your conscience, and tell America who is in charge of your ftiture. So put down the beer, get off your butt and vote. 10. Filling out absent-minded ballots | 9. Putting the names of each of the voters they were responsible for in a hat and will pick one out: the winner votes in their place! c 8. Thanking the good Lord there's a place for people ? like them in SGA b 7. Planning to pull the lever for Dukakis/Bentsen jj 6. Putting off 'that shower thing' for another two weeks ii 5. Will lie, kill or do whatever they can to disrupt the p democratic Drocess n I 4. Writing 200 letters of apology c 3. Thinking how they'd like to one day be as smart as fl Dan Quayle p 2. Eating the Halloween candy they stole from the kids in the neighborhood c 1. Starting their petition to repeal the 26th Amendment tl F TBaiftco cfc< ( k Editor in Chief Greg Rickabaugh Managing Editor Patrick Villegas ] Copy Desk Chief Jay King News Editors Chad Bray ( J.T. Waqenheim Viewpoints Editor Jack Dunn ,, Features Editor Lee Clontz Sports tailors nancy oaiomonsKy L Tim Thorsen t Photo Editor Stephanie Newlin k Graphic Editor Ryan Sims t Cartoonist Paul Jon a Asst. News Editor Melissa Tennen t Asst. Features Editor Jennifer Fuller Asst. Sports Editor Rob Rodusky \ Asst. Photo Editor Lea Clayton r Asst. Graphics Editors Kristin Buehlman 1 Gregory Perez s Asst. Copy Desk Editor Brian Garland \ - ...... ... ; btuaent Meaia uoorainaior jim ivicrveuar Production Manager Laura Day Asst. Production Manager Jim Green Faculty Advisor Erik Collins j Advertising Manager Renee Gibson t Graduate Asst Brian McGuire s Darkroom Technicians Erin Galloway i Rika Hashimoto a The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be no more than 250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major if a student, must be included along with address and phone number. The Gamecock \ reserves the right to edit letters. The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published three times a week on Mondays, 1 Wednesdays, and Fridays during the fall and spring semesters and weekly during j both summer sessions, with the exception of university holidays and examination periods. V Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not { those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The t Gamecock. The Student Media Department is the parent organization of The , Gamecock. Change of address forms, subscriptions, requests and other correspondence should be sent to The Gamecock, P.O. Box 85131, The University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208. Subscription rates are $46 a year. First class postage paid at Columbia, SC. The Gamecock is a registered student organization of the University of South Carolina and is partially funded by student activity fees. riewj Sc TM? WH( i m TRU, PAR U/H( TMT Politicians i Last spring, I got sick one Saturda; nd my friends took me to Baptist I tar A nnroa tr\r\L m\; KIaaH nroee ^uuu. rv iiuiov^ iwuiv iii^ uiva/u pvoo smperature and put me in a bed fc iours. When a doctor finally showed ;ave me a dose of green medicine a ne on my way. My parents received a bill for $200 If the Thomson Student Health Cer >pen, I probably could have recer :ame health care for half of wh; vledical Center charged. One month later, I was sitting in ai ional meeting, and two candidates \ o become student body vice presidem They both gave good speeches, j lifficult for me to determine which vould serve the student body the best mow either one of them.) One candidate, however, said she vork to have the health center open rhen she told us a heartbreaking stc ;he had to go to Baptist Medical ( Clinton/Gc As I stood on the Horseshoe listei U Gore lie about the state of the U.S >my, I realized how easily misl American public can be. After moi >eing bombarded nightly with rept iow bad the economy is, fear has let o discard common sense and to vot nan whose qualifications are seriousl ng. I suppose Clinton and Gore ha\ oo busy campaigning to notice m irime economic indicators have showi nent in the past few months. Unemp lown, and housing starts are up. iccurred without government interve ree market has dictated this recovery. Clinton and Gore have stated this >eriod is the worst since the Great De lave to wonder how they can retain ility while making outrageously bo< if this sort. Even CNN, not consideret ative source, has reported our pre ecessions ('73?'74 and '81?'82) han this one. If this is true, then 'resident Bush's approval rating di apidly? People have a warped vi< vents of the last twelve years. Student loses right to vote due to trust ro the editor: I have been closely following he election this year. As a firstime voter, I wanted to make sure I :new the issues and would be able o make an educated decision. I im, however, embarrassed to admit hat I am not registered to vote. I filled out my registration form veil before the deadline, but I nade a mistake. I trusted my regisration form to a group of college tudents running a voter registraion booth during the organization air. Several weeks later, I had not eceived my registration card, falling Voter Registration, I earned my form had never been urned in. After investigating, it eems one of the students involved n the registration drive showed up it the student legislature with over tOO forms. On Election Day, 200 students vill not be able to vote, myself ncluded. I would like to thank that tameless student for teaching me a valuable lesson. I will never again rust another person with somehing as important as my voice in lemocracy. Melanie Beth Lewis English junior joint >m, i want woo 76 vote for : freslpet^al candipate: o trow unpersttwps the IR\can people, who has E CHARACTER) WHO VJOUlPAfT 'E HE OR. USE 0\RTH TRICKS, 3 has 8ach8one anp EGRiTV... i ( -r\l ntticd in v./ i n ui\ l WORPS? / use/ A 1 sil ind the sue] y night, Medical re and >r three up, he nd sent I COLUMN iter was at Baotist weekend, costing her f 1 gave my vote, the i rvrocni . tioned candidate. Bein x/prp vvino dld not she COul(] ve y e or that she did not kn ind it was ab?ut' . candidate , J?"est- lnceUl8< (Idid not 1 dlou8hl 1 was voun8 I was relieved bee wanted to have lo go to Etap'ist I weekends, didate kept her pledge, try of how 1 was upset when 11 Center one edltl0n of ^ Gamef vice president stated 5 re playdo^ ning to . econed the IthS Of irts on 1 many e for a GUEST COLUN y lack re been ad Clinton and Gore h; i improve- the principles of suppl 1^ ent is deepness of the recessi Ihis has ^ recent recess nfirtrt Tnf? . . r\ ??"" giooai occurrence, aoi cyclical change in ir economic from a production-bas< pression. I oriented economy cam any credi- has Hkely been fueled 1 ?us claims ment. Even the Democ 1 a conser- George Bush, vious two My biggest grievanc as worse their attacks on B why has my iipS" statement. 1 ropped so 1990 was introduced t iw of the 0f re(iUcing the deficit. the luxury of a balance P Bookstores swindle students To the editor: It could be a freshman thing, but I need a clarification about returning "like new" books. Several weeks ago, I returned a "like new" $23 book to a certain bookstore on campus. I needed some cash, and, liKe any rational numan Deing, 1 thought I would get what I paid. Obviously not! I thought it was a joke when an employee handed me $7 for a new book that had hardly been used. To my knowledge, scalping is illegal. Scalping tickets at a football game is illegal, so why is it O.K. for a bookstore to scalp books to money-exerted students? It seems only Holdermanistic (referring to former USC President James Holderman, who used state funds for personal use) to con students out of every bit of money they have. Why should we, as tax-paying students, have to put up with this book scam? is there a reliable bookstore on or near campus that does not monopolize books? Finally, why does the bookstore overprice books? An answer would be appreciated. Jamie Jeffcoat Undeclared freshman :s Poa/'T VOTE. I ^ \ kers who vot( health cer fnot think What t) 1 to have th ! say it is i 1ST ILg^^Mto A) She center op< should ha larents $2,000. a P31* ?f ' refore, to the above-men- B) She res< ~ ; * t t g uic naive vuici i was, i uiuiuugii mvt I have been an opportunist C) She ne ow what she was talking to have the h an opportunis mt, trustworthy candidate j feej m , ,, , fault, howeve ause students would not T ,., vledical Center if the can- 1 dld n0' ."if Let this be *ead a letter in the Oct. 19 speech to de ck where the student body suited to sen ;he researched having the ? like me. wn economi< Clinton dc in hopes curb cong Mproblem li $ ! ^ * prolonging 1NIST ISfc going alo 1 11 them. On ing taxes ; ave continually misstated taxes on y-side economics and the sports show on. It is well-documented n^eds for hi: ion has virtually been a wi^out taxinj me economists believe a Finally, g< lany advanced societies Clinton. Und id economy to a service- Government >ed this. If this is true, it creating job: by technological advance- social prograi rats cannot blame that on government i e with the Democrats has P"nciPle ?|" ( ush concerning the "Read clual1ty and e Tie Tax Budget Deal of ment equals < >y Democrats as a means eminent enla Bush, who does not have greater. This d budget amendment like average Amei Endorsements I not befitting 1 objectivity To the editor: 1 After watching CNN this after- ^ noon, my faith in the political process diminished a little bit c more. The newscaster stated that several prominent newspapers from around the country had announced . their endorsement of candidates. L My mouth dropped open. I have c heard of newspaper support before; ^ however, the situation never rnomad imrvnrtont tr\ ma until nnu/ d^tiiiV/u niipui lam iu inv^ uiiui itv *t when I can vote. Journalism classes teach that the { newspaper's sole purpose is to f report the news in an unbiased and ( factual manner and to present all sides of a situation to readers. Then ^ readers are able to form their own . . a opinions. This situation is analogous to a ^ celebrity endorsing a product. A c fan of the celebrity might be influ- c enced into buying a product just [ because of the endorsement. The c fan probably figured if the celebrity c likes and uses the product, then it must be a good product. The same result is possible when 1 a newspaper endorses a presidential r candidate. This is not a new car or f a Pepsi. This is a serious matter. ^ The editor's opinion belongs in the editorial section alongside an opposing viewpoint. The founders of the Constitution gave the power oif Vot; me, vrvoTe OUR iSUENCEl ALL ION ThIE WAXES MT HAVE ONE. n j 1 e tor tnem iter open on weekends, and she did it was feasible. i^pe of leader would pledge to work e health center open weekends, but not feasible after she is elected? : really wanted to have the health en weekends but did not know she , ve researched it before she made it tier platform. earched the project but did not do a jstigation. ver had any intentions of working lealth center open weekends and is it who lied to get votes, vote was wasted. It is partly my :r, for voting for a candidate whom ition or check out before I voted. ; a lesson to voters who rely on a termine which candidates are best /e our interests. Don't be a sucker ; rebound >es in Arkansas, went along with it of reducing the deficit. It did not ;ressional spending where the real es. In fact, it probably attributed to I the recession. iemocrats have attacked Bush for ng with an idea originating with top of that, Clinton plans on raisagain. He claims he will only raise the richest two percent, but most he cannot raise the revenue he s social and economic programs I the middle class more. Dvernment will get bigger under er no circumstances is this good, is the most inefficient means of 5 imaginable. Any politician or II cannot remedy this because the s never subject to the free market competition. Competition produces efficiency. Inefficiency in govemi waste of tax dollars. As the govrges, taxpayers' burden becomes means less take-home pay for the ican. >f the vote to the people, not the >ress, because the founders >elieved in the individual and the ndividual's right of self-determinaion. I love this country. I believe in reedom of speech and freedom of he press; however, the democratic irocess, the right of the individual o choose the president, is the basis >f this country. Today's press takes advantage of tc nnwpr and rights in order to nfluence individual's opinions. It s violating the freedom of individlal choice and attacking the founlation of this nation. A conflict of nterest, therefore, arises with the indorsement of candidates. The )ress' role as an unbiased informaion provider is tarnished. Due to he media's responsibility of emaining unbiased, endorsement )f any candidate is unethical. The media needs to return?if it vere ever there?to a purely unbiased, fact-based presentation of the ssues showing all perspectives. Nq, the American people, need to ;et up from our La-Z-Boys and nake our own educated decisions ibout our country's future instead )f relying on the media's opinion. When the mass media moves rom being deliverers of informaion (e.g. The postman delivers the nail) to presidential candidate ?roupies is when the statement 'America is going to hell in a landbag" is validated. Vasa William Cate Undeclared freshman